[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1714 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1714

   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of 
  Housing and Urban Development to establish a grant pilot program to 
             provide housing to elderly homeless veterans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 24, 2013

   Mr. Peters of California (for himself, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. 
Cardenas, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Mr. Lowenthal, Ms. Meng, 
   Mr. Deutch, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Rangel, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. 
  Conyers, Mrs. Napolitano, and Ms. Sinema) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in 
  addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of 
  Housing and Urban Development to establish a grant pilot program to 
             provide housing to elderly homeless veterans.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Shelter Our Servicemembers Act''.

SEC. 2. ELDERLY HOMELESS VETERANS HOUSING GRANT PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall jointly establish a 
pilot program to award grants to nonprofit organizations to provide 
elderly homeless veterans with non-transitional housing.
    (b) Eligible Organization.--
            (1) Nonprofit organization.--The Secretaries may award two 
        grants under this section to nonprofit organizations that 
        provide housing to homeless veterans or assist homeless 
        veterans to find housing.
            (2) Locations.--In selecting the nonprofit organizations 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretaries shall ensure that such 
        organizations operate in separate geographical locations.
            (3) Application.--To be eligible for a grant under this 
        section, a nonprofit organization shall submit to the 
        Secretaries an application at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Secretaries may require.
    (c) Number and Amount of Grant.--
            (1) Number.--The Secretaries--
                    (A) may award two grants under this section; and
                    (B) may not award more than one grant to a single 
                nonprofit organization.
            (2) Amount.--A grant awarded under this section may not 
        exceed $25,000,000.
    (d) Use of Grant.--
            (1) In general.--A nonprofit organization may use a grant 
        awarded under this section to--
                    (A) purchase real property within a single 
                geographical area to be used to provide up to 200 
                eligible homeless veterans with non-transitional 
                housing; and
                    (B) refurbish or renovate such property.
            (2) Eligible homeless veterans.--A homeless veteran is 
        eligible for housing provided pursuant to this section if the 
        Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines that the homeless 
        veteran--
                    (A) has attained the age of 55;
                    (B) has--
                            (i) been continuously homeless for a year 
                        or more; or
                            (ii) during the last three years, had at 
                        least four separate, distinct, and sustained 
                        periods during which the veteran lived or 
                        resided on the streets, in an emergency shelter 
                        for homeless persons, or a combination of both; 
                        and
                    (C) has a condition that limits the veteran's 
                ability to work or perform activities of daily living, 
                including conditions related to--
                            (i) a diagnosable substance abuse disorder;
                            (ii) a serious mental illness;
                            (iii) a developmental disability; or
                            (iv) a chronic physical illness or 
                        disability.
    (e) Case Management.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
        provide case management for elderly homeless veterans who 
        receive housing assistance pursuant to this section. The 
        Secretary shall maintain a sufficient number of caseworkers to 
        ensure that the ratio of such homeless veterans to caseworkers 
        does not exceed 25 to 1.
            (2) Provision.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall allow the non-profit organization awarded a 
        grant under this section to provide the case management under 
        paragraph (1) if the non-profit organization elects to provide 
        such case management.
    (f) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date on which the 
pilot grant program terminates pursuant to subsection (i), the 
Secretaries shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the 
Senate and House of Representatives a report on the pilot grant program 
that includes--
            (1) the number of veterans served under the program;
            (2) the types of services offered under the program to such 
        veterans;
            (3) the amount of money spent under the program on each 
        such veteran;
            (4) a recommendation as to the feasibility and advisability 
        of continuing the program; and
            (5) any other information the Secretaries consider 
        appropriate.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretaries to carry out this section $50,000,000.
    (h) Homeless Veteran Defined.--In this section, the term ``homeless 
veteran'' means a veteran who--
            (1) has attained the age of 55; and
            (2) is homeless (as that term is defined in section 103(a) 
        of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
        11302(a))).
    (i) Termination.--The pilot grant program established under 
subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is two years after the 
date on which the Secretaries award a grant under such subsection.
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